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Bel Air commissioners approve agenda, enter closed session to get legal advice on Hickory Flats project
Summary
The Bel Air Town Board of Commissioners unanimously approved the meeting agenda and voted to enter a closed session under Maryland law to consult legal counsel and staff about the Hickory Flats apartment project on Hickory Avenue. The chair said the board would not make any vesting decision in secret.
The Bel Air Town Board of Commissioners unanimously approved the meeting agenda and voted to enter a closed session to obtain legal advice concerning the Hickory Flats apartment project on Hickory Avenue, the board said at a work session that began at about 5:15 p.m. on Tuesday in Bel Air.
The closed-session motion cited the Maryland Open Meetings Act, General Provisions Article §3-305(b)(7) and (8), and said the purpose was "to obtain legal advice and consult with staff about legal issues regarding the Hickory Flats apartment project on Hickory Avenue in Bel Air, Maryland." Commissioner Taylor moved the motion and Commissioner Chance seconded it; the board then voted unanimously to close the portion of the meeting for that purpose.
Madam Chair told the public the board would not take any further business at the meeting and would return only to adjourn. "Before we go into closed session, I just want to say for the public, perhaps watching at home, and for purposes of the record, that we will not be conducting any further business today. We will be merely, closing the closed session and going into open session for the purposes of adjournment," the chair said.
The chair also addressed social media posts suggesting a decision had already been made in secret, saying that was incorrect. "I have seen some mention on social media of a decision being made in secret. The purpose of this closed session is not for the board to make any decision regarding the vesting of Hickory Flats. It is not within the board's purview to make that decision, at least at this point. We are merely going to consult with staff and our legal counsel regarding this issue," the chair said.
The work session opened with a roll call that recorded Commissioners Rutledge, Chismar, Taylor and Chance as present; the chair also recorded an affirmative vote. The board first approved the meeting agenda by unanimous voice vote before taking the motion to enter closed session.
No substantive public discussion of the Hickory Flats project was recorded in the public portion of the transcript. The board did not announce any actions or decisions about the project's vesting during the open portion of the meeting.
